867.512/66
The High Commissioner at Constantinople
(
Bristol
)
to the Acting Secretary of
State
Constantinople
,
9 March,
1920
.
[Received April 22.]
Sir: I have the honor to enclose herewith a
copy of a Verbal Note forwarded by the United States High Commissioner,
Constantinople, Turkey, to the Sublime Porte through the Swedish
Legation in compliance with your cablegram No. 56 of 6 p.m. 17 February
1920.6
Respectfully,
The Swedish Legation in
Turkey to the Turkish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
Constantinople
,
March 10
[6?], 1920.
Note Verbale
In accordance with instructions of the Government of the United
States of America, the Royal Swedish Legation has the honor to
inform the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the following:
The Government of the United States of America declares that
its citizens may not be subjected to any tax whatever
without the previous consent of that Government. It
recognizes that an American citizen owning real estate
within the Ottoman Empire should be bound to pay taxes
levied on real estate under the same conditions as an
Ottoman subject in all cases other than those where
exemption is accorded to schools and to religious and
charitable institutions. This holds true during the present
armistice except that the United States Government does not
authorize American citizens to submit to what is called
“taxe de guerre”.
As to the temettu, the United States
Government does not admit that it applies to citizens of the
United States.
The same attitude is maintained in respect to the ilmihaber of the Hedjaz which has
never been recognized by the United States Government.
The United States Government emphasizes particularly that it
cannot recognize any method of taxation whereby the status
of Americans may become in any way less favorable than that
of other foreigners enjoying capitulatory rights in
Turkey.
